EstherK.com

“Forever Friends” (Jewish Week)

6 years ago

by Esther in Online Clips Archive

An excerpt from my new JW column, titled “Forever Friends”:

[...] It’s not that platonic, opposite-sex relationships don’t exist. But they’re complicated. Some “Forever Friends” stick around, hoping patiently that their platonic pal will someday see the romantic light, but this may turn out to be a painful mistake. “It’s like dating a man who is already taken, hoping he’ll leave her for you — it’s not the healthiest of beginnings,” says Julia, 28.

Others find comfort in the rewards of solidly platonic friendships. “Once you grow closer to someone as a friend, the love you have grows more into a sibling type of love,” says Rachel, 24, “Soon you become so attached as friends that the attraction is almost completely forgotten. You end up knowing them so well it’s impossible to ‘like’ them any longer.”

Sometimes that works. But when yearning deepens, friendship becomes impossibly painful. Unless other romances intervene or the love-stricken party accepts the impossibility of progress, feelings can continue, leading to soulful declarations met by disappointing reaffirmations with parenthetical, unvocalized caveat counterparts: “I think you’re great (but not great enough for me),” “You’re going to make someone (else) very happy,” “I don’t deserve you (I deserve someone better),” and “You know we’re better as friends (so I don’t have to tell you that I don’t think you’re all that attractive).”

“The Truth About Online Dating” (The Jewish Week)

6 years ago

by Esther in Online Clips Archive

“The Truth About Online Dating”
The NY Jewish Week, November 24, 2005

[...] Until scientists perfect cloning (at which point most of us will likely not make the cut), online dating is one of the best ways to be “out there” without actually having to go anywhere. It also inspires individuals to craft a more honest, authentic picture of themselves. Or at least it should.

But this week brought two accusations against online dating companies. A CNN online report revealed one man’s contention that his Match.com date was “date bait” — an employee sent by the company to keep him from canceling his subscription. In a separate story, Yahoo’s personals service is accused of posting fictitious dating profiles to pad membership numbers. A Match spokesperson said that her company “absolutely does not” employ people to go on dates with subscribers or to send members misleading e-mails professing romantic interest. Yahoo had no comment at all.

For more, click here.

Change is Good…

6 years ago

by Esther in News, Website

Anyone who’s been here — the official homepage and central PR office for Esther D. Kustanowitz — and has come back for more will notice that I’ve recently decorated the place a little bit with help from my non-local web tech team (more about them once the site goes full-on live).

In addition to the pretty, yet professional, new color scheme, I’ll continue to work on the site to provide you with:
* news about upcoming events, classes and speaking engagements
* published clips
* featured photos
* video footage
* an author biography and list of publications…and more…

In summary…change is good. And I’m talkin’ about a revolution…well, you know. I just want to change the world.

Stay with us. You won’t be sorry.

Another Word of Welcome…Plus Clips…

6 years ago

by Esther in Online Clips Archive

You’ve found me. Even though I’ve done no PR work to promote this website–which is not quite ready to officially launch with confetti and fanfare–hundreds of you have somehow found this website. I guess the proper thing to say at this moment is “Thank you, Google…”

Anyway, for those of you who came here expecting to find clips or various other forms of Estherness, I’m pleased to present some recent articles for your hopeful enjoyment. As always, I value your input, so feel free to leave comments to let me know you were here and that you had a good time. Because that’s really all I want in life: to make sure you’re happy.

OyBaby, the Jewish answer to Baby Einstein, is back with a sequel: OyBaby2. Or, as my editor at the Jewish Week titled it, “Son of OyBaby.” (Next up, OyBaby Vs. Mothra.) If you visit the OyBaby blog, leave Rob a comment and let him know Esther sent you…

Tired of winter already? SAD? Me too. I need a vacation. So I’m “Booking a Voyage Out of Darkness.”

Marathon Sunday in New York City was sunny and warm, with temperatures reaching 68 degrees. As the marathon (an obvious metaphor for New York’s infamous rat race) ran, no one could believe it was November. But the moments of light were themselves fleet-footed; by 4:47 pm, we watched helplessly, as the sun slipped away, abandoning us to the post-daylight-saving time darkness.

In autumn and winter, it’s a literal challenge to find light. Those of us bound to a typical office environment arrive in morning light, luck out if we snag a few sunny minutes midday, and then, after disengaging from desk-side doldrums, commute home in darkness. It is no accident that winter’s holidays — Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa — all center on themes and images relating to illumination. And it is no surprise that people, especially singles, might take the external darkness and internalize it emotionally.

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Stay tuned to this site for more clips, pics, and gigs…the best is yet to come…